Theses/Dissertations - Curriculum and Instructionhttp://hdl.handle.net/2104/4805
Fri, 30 Jan 2015 23:00:18 GMT2015-01-30T23:00:18ZCase studies of teachers participating in differentiated professional development for the purpose of student-centered technology integration.http://hdl.handle.net/2104/9177
Case studies of teachers participating in differentiated professional development for the purpose of student-centered technology integration.
Montgomery, Mark S., 1973-
School districts are quickly adopting various technologies in hopes that students can be taught in the same way their technological world works. Common reasons given to justify these expensive purchases include increasing student motivation and appealing to the "digital native." Teachers, however, tend to use technology in more of a teacher assistive role, which includes daily tasks like taking attendance or creating a worksheet. If teachers used more student-centered technology, students would have opportunities to use technology to explore for knowledge, expand their understanding of a topic based on interest, differentiate their own learning by allowing them to spend more time in areas they may not understand, and move along when the topic has been mastered. Students would also have opportunities to create and present their newly found understanding of a topic to the teacher, class, community or other interested individuals. Numerous barriers affect whether a teacher will use technology in roles that are more than just teacher assistive. These barriers differ for each teacher and, therefore, cannot necessarily be overcome by the typical professional development opportunities that currently exist in schools. Typical professional development most often model technology as teacher assistive. PowerPoint presentations or a speaker sharing an idea while an audience passively sits and listens has not been successful, or student-centered technology use would be rampant in schools. This study utilized a differentiated professional development model to try to impact student-centered technology use in classrooms of participating teachers. A differentiated model provides training based on teacher need, interest, and ability. The professional development plans were written by the teacher and trainer and then implemented together throughout the study. Utilizing a case study methodology, this study follows three teachers as they participate in the differentiated professional development model. Each case study was written to explain each teacher's progress through his or her entire experience. Each individual case was analyzed to search for themes that emerged from the data. Finally, all three cases were analyzed together to look for overall themes and findings that might have implications for professional development and/or technology integration.
Fri, 05 Sep 2014 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/2104/91772014-09-05T00:00:00ZEarly elementary students' fractional understanding : examination of cases from a multi-year longitudinal study.http://hdl.handle.net/2104/9162
Early elementary students' fractional understanding : examination of cases from a multi-year longitudinal study.
Gupta, Dittika.
For more than three decades fractions have been considered critical and foundational, yet they represent a challenge for teaching and learning higher mathematics by students, teachers, and teacher educators. The purpose of the study was to investigate early elementary students' understanding of fractions and growth in thinking about fractional concepts over multiple years. This research study analyzed data from a larger longitudinal research study that was conducted from 2007 to 2013 with students from kindergarten to third grade. The study used purposeful criterion sampling to select student cases to gain insight into students' fractional understanding and thinking. This study employed an explanatory multiple case study design to examine ten early elementary students' fractional understanding after they had participated in the larger longitudinal research study for at least three years. Each student was examined as a separate case before cross-case analysis was conducted to reveal common themes and patterns. The study explored the relationship between early elementary students' understanding and the use of manipulatives to teach fractional concepts such as part-whole partitioning, fair share, unitizing, and equivalence over time. Findings of the study relate to what early elementary students know and understand about fractions such as understanding of one-half, interference of whole number knowledge, and difficulties with symbolic representation of fractions. The study also presents findings that relate to the relationship between use of manipulatives and students' fractional understanding in terms of selection and efficiency of various manipulatives. Results of the study also examined the growth in students' thinking about fractions over time. This research study aimed to provide an understanding of the relationship between students' fractional thinking and use of manipulatives to better focus classroom instruction for deeper impact. The researcher discusses the implications in relation to curriculum, use of manipulatives, and development of students' understanding of fractions.
Fri, 05 Sep 2014 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/2104/91622014-09-05T00:00:00ZHow African American children respond to culturally relevant stories in mathematics : an ethnographic case study.http://hdl.handle.net/2104/9149
How African American children respond to culturally relevant stories in mathematics : an ethnographic case study.
Corp, Amy K.
This study examined the responses of African American students in two third grade mathematics classes to the use of African American stories that were utilized as a pedagogy to teach mathematics. All 41 students in the two classes received mathematics instruction that began with an African American story, followed by mathematical discourse and concluded with solving problems that correlated with the story. The focus of this study was on the responses of the seventeen African American participants. The researcher conducted field observations during these lessons. The researcher recorded responses by these students on protocols; while the story was read aloud, during mathematical discourse and problem-solving times. Students reflected weekly by answering five questions that gave them an opportunity to share their perspective on the African American stories. The teacher reflected on each lesson as well, describing thoughts on how students responded to the story in the lesson. Results revealed that African American students responded to the use of African American stories with engagement and enjoyment, and the stories helped them think about mathematics to some degree. Results further indicated that students perceived the cultural relevance of the stories.
Fri, 05 Sep 2014 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/2104/91492014-09-05T00:00:00ZTeachers' reasons for including field trips in the curriculum.http://hdl.handle.net/2104/9108
Teachers' reasons for including field trips in the curriculum.
Shrock, Danielle Lea.
This dissertation examined the reasons' elementary teachers included field trips in the curriculum, whether increasing cultural capital, as defined by Pierre Bourdieu (1973), was one of their primary reasons, what types of field trips teachers included in the curriculum, and what discouraged teachers from including field trips in the curriculum. There is an existing achievement gap between Asian and White and Black and Hispanic students and studies have shown poverty is a primary cause of this gap. One aspect of poverty is not participating in out-of-school learning activities, such as visiting zoos, museums, or libraries, which contributes to cultural capital. Field trips are one way to increase cultural capital. This dissertation used Bourdieu's theory of cultural capital as the theoretical framework, and was a collective, multi-site case study using a constant comparative method for a cross case analysis. Three public school districts in Oklahoma, and three schools within each of those districts were used as sites for this study. Questionnaires were given to approximately 237 elementary teachers, and 88 were returned. Follow-up interviews were done with two teachers from each school, and relevant documentation related to field trips was collected from school and district websites. The findings indicated teachers included field trips in the curriculum for many reasons, for both affective and cognitive gains. Teachers took students on trips that were both fun and educational—they chose places that covered skills and were popular attractions. Most places teachers took students on field trips favored science and history topics. Cost, timing associated with testing, and transportation discouraged teachers from taking field trips. Teachers did want to provide students with new experiences, but were unaware of the research on cultural capital. Recommendations included educating teachers about the latest research on cultural capital, providing bigger field trip budgets or concentrating resources to make a bigger impact, taking field trips throughout the year, especially before testing to truly connect with curriculum, and exploring more virtual or alternative field trips.
Wed, 11 Jun 2014 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/2104/91082014-06-11T00:00:00Z